Terry wrote: > to David M: > I need a little help with this one, David, if you > do not mind. Phil.2:12. Paul advises us "To work > out our own salvation with fear and trembling," > but follows that by saying "It is God that works > in us". If God is working in us with the goal of > salvation, why fear and tremble?
Hi Terry. This looks like a setup to me. Ok, I'm going to bite and watch the fireworks. :-) Why fear and tremble? Because salvation is a difficult road filled with obstacles. It is a straight road, but also narrow, meaning that few find it and it is easy to jump off the path. Ever read Pilgrim's Progress? We can mess up what God is working out in us. Free will. Temptations abound everywhere, and there is an enemy who seeks to derail us. God works for us and in us, but Satan works against us. Therefore, we must work out our salvation in humility, understanding the dangers, and understanding that it is not a "free ride." We might get a free ticket to get on the ride, but that does not mean that the ride itself is free of obstacles and dangers and costs to us. Jesus also taught us to "count the cost" as to whether we can do it. We might have God's guarantee that he will keep us from sin, and that he will always provide for us victory and salvation, and we can trust in that confidently by faith, but we have no guarantee that we will make the right choices de facto. Furthermore, along with that guarantee of God's faithfulness, we are also promised tribulation and spiritual warfare. Not everyone makes it through this warfare alive and without wounds. I guess you just found a verse that blows certain versions of the "once saved always saved" doctrine out of the water, and the "saved by grace through faith alone" thinking also is shot down. As I have shared in previous posts, according to the Holy Scriptures, works perfect faith and save us, so we are not saved by faith alone, but also by works (James 2:22-24), contrary to the Lutheran doctrine which must add words to the Holy Scriptures and remove an entire book from the Holy Scriptures in order to find solid ground for its acceptance. :-) Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
